Global Studies 9, Unit 3

Question 1

Abbasids

Answer 1

a dynasty that ruled much of the Muslim Empire from A.D. 750 to 1258.

Question 2

al-Andalus

Answer 2

a Muslim-ruled region in what is now Spain, established in the eighth century A.D.

Question 3

Allah

Answer 3

God (an Arabic word, used mainly in Islam).

Question 4

Bushido

Answer 4

the strict code of behavior followed by samurai warriors in Japan.

Question 5

Caliph

Answer 5

a supreme political and religious leader in a Muslim government.

Question 6

Calligraphy

Answer 6

the art of beautiful handwriting.

Question 7

Clan

Answer 7

a group of people descended from a common ancestor.

Question 8

Cyrillic Alphabet

Answer 8

an alphabet for the writing of Slavic languages, devised in the ninth century A.D. by Saints Cyril and Methodius.

Question 9

Czar

Answer 9

a Russian emperor (from the Roman title Caesar).

Question 10

Excommunication

Answer 10

the taking away of a person’s right of membership in a Christian church.

Question 11

Fatimid

Answer 11

a member of a Muslim dynasty that traced its ancestry to Muhammad’s daughter Fatima and that built an empire in North Africa, Arabia, and Syria in the 10th–12th centuries.

Question 12

Gentry

Answer 12

a class of powerful, well-to-do people who enjoy a high social status.

Question 13

Hagia Sophia

Answer 13

the Cathedral of Holy Wisdom in Constantinople, built by order of the Byzantine emperor Justinian.

Question 14

Hajj

Answer 14

a pilgrimage to Mecca, performed as a duty by Muslims.

Question 15

Hijrah

Answer 15

Muhammad’s migration from Mecca to Yathrib (Medina) in A.D. 622.

Question 16

Islam

Answer 16

a monotheistic religion that developed in Arabia in the seventh century A.D.

Question 17

Justinian Code

Answer 17

the body of Roman civil law collected and organized by order of the Byzantine emperor Justinian around A.D. 534.

Question 18

Mosque

Answer 18

an Islamic place of worship.

Question 19

Movable Type

Answer 19

blocks of metal or wood, each bearing a single character, that can be arranged to make up a page for printing.

Question 20

Muslim

Answer 20

a follower of Islam.

Question 21

Pastoralist

Answer 21

a member of a nomadic group that herds domesticated animals.

Question 22

Patriarch

Answer 22

a principal bishop in the eastern branch of Christianity.

Question 23

Pax Mongolica

Answer 23

the “Mongol Peace”—the period from the mid-1200s to the mid-1300s when the Mongols imposed stability and law and order across much of Eurasia.

Question 24

Qur’an

Answer 24

the holy book of Islam.

Question 25

Samurai

Answer 25

one of the professional warriors who served Japanese feudal lords.

Question 26

Seljuks

Answer 26

a Turkish group who migrated into the Abbasid Empire in the 10th century and established their own empire in the 11th century.

Question 27

Shari'a

Answer 27

a body of law governing the lives of Muslims.

Question 28

Shinto

Answer 28

the native religion of Japan.

Question 29

Shi'a

Answer 29

the branch of Islam whose members acknowledge Ali and his descendants as the rightful successors of Muhammad.

Question 30

Shogun

Answer 30

in feudal Japan, a supreme military commander who ruled in the name of the emperor.

Question 31

Slavs

Answer 31

a people from the forests north of the Black Sea, ancestors of many peoples in Eastern Europe today.

Question 32

Sufi

Answer 32

a Muslim who seeks to achieve direct contact with God through mystical means.

Question 33

Sunna

Answer 33

an Islamic model for living, based on the life and teachings of Muhammad.

Question 34

Sunni

Answer 34

the branch of Islam whose members acknowledge the first four caliphs as the rightful successors of Muhammad.

Question 35

Umayyads

Answer 35

a dynasty that ruled the Muslim Empire from A.D. 661 to 750 and later established a kingdom in al-Andalus.

Question 36

Vizier

Answer 36

a prime minister in a Muslim kingdom or empire.

Question 37

House of Wisdom

Answer 37

a center of learning established in Baghdad in the 800s.

Question 38

Icon

Answer 38

a religious image used by eastern Christians.